Drawer latch for filing cabinets



May16,1933. GRAND i 11,909,531@e DRAWER LATCH FOR FILING CABINETS FiledApril 14, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l gwucnko@ enjzmin @Bami May 16, 1933. B-G' RAND 1,909,847

DRAWER LATCH FOR FILING GABINETS Filed Ap'ril 14, 1951 2 sheets-sheet 2I3 9 4f l23 V7 24m] 2 j closed position `in the cabinet.'

Lso Fig. 2.

Patented May 16, 1933 l BENJAMING. RAND. or `Norvrrr 'mNAwAi DA,nnwyonx, Assmlton'ro RAND inc., or BUFFALO, New 'iz/om:

DRAWER LATCH Fon riLrNq cAnrNirrs l 4 Appnemon nea April 1 4, rsa1.serial 110.530.107. l

u This invention relates to a drawer latch forfiling cabinetsA andparticularly to a .latch construction mounted on the front wall of a 1the drawer front, an

drawer for releasably holding thedrawer in The invention comprehends alatch mechanism particularly adapted for use wlth llng cabinets havingdrawers in which a latch member on the drawer has locking coopera Y' 10tion with `a stationary part mounted on the cabinet forming. a part ofthe drawer supporting and guiding means, in order to secure better`alignment of the cooperating parts of the latch mechanism so that thedrawers will be uniformly locked in fully closed position.

The invention thereby overcomes disadvantages in previous latchconstructions having parts on the drawer engaging directly with nportions of the cabinet in which slight variations in the structure ofthe drawer or cabinet result in inefficient operation of the latchin'retaining the drawer in the proper closed position.

The invention provides a latch'construc-` '25 tion having a sheet metalsupporting plate formed to provide a mountingy for the latch member, toreceive and mount a sprlng member for normally actuating the latchmember in one direction, to support an actuating so member having asuitable manually operated button or other means provided for operatingthe actuating member tomove the latch f .into releasing position .forunlocking the drawer, in which these parts are constructed and assembledin an extremelysimpleand.

economical manner to provide an eilicient latch construction formounting on the rear face of the drawer front by the sa-me means thatsecuresl the drawer handle in place. (0

of the invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tile cabinet showing one drawer in aposition from the cabinet.

Fig. 2 .is an enlarged vertical cross section ihrough the drawer takenon line 2 2 of i 1. ig. 3 is a vertical cross section through the `frontof the' drawer taken on line 3--3 of f `Fig. 5V is a sectional view Thedrawings illustrate one embodiment partially withdrawn y offset end 18forming a latchnger'and an is'an enlarged fragmentary section throuhithe cabinet and "drawerin closed locke position lookin at the'rearvface of showing the latch mechanism in elevation. 1 taken.substant-ially on line 5-5 of Figui." 5

Fig.`6 shows the assembled latch mechanism in locking position with cfragment of the case slide and a fragment of the drawer front inperspectiva: f i A file cabinet 1 is formed to receive a pluralityofdrawers, one drawer bein indicated at 2 partially withdrawn from't ecabinet and carried by drawer. supporting and guiding means 3 usuallyincluding a drawer slide 4, an intermediate slide or carriage 5. and acase slide 6 of any well known typev of construction. y. i

The drawer 2 has the usual front wall 7 and sidewalls8 suitably securedtheretov by the formation of the forward edges of the side walls and theside edges of thefront wall into channel shaped bead forming sectionsgenerally indicated at 7fin Fig.y 5. zv

A latch supporting-plate1is1formed of a piece of sheet metal havin abody portion 9 and laterally extending anges- 10 I,and 11 projectingfrom an end andthe to ed e of said body portion, respectively." lT eange 11 is provided with an upwardly extending angular portion 12-atfits` free edge terminating in a laterally extending lip 13 overlyingflange 11 in vspacedparallel relation. The bod portion 9 is formed withapair of space openings toreceive threaded studs 14v on the :ends ofhandle.15` extending through registering 'openings in the drawer front`7, so that vupon the application of the nuts 16 to threaded studs 14body portion 9 will be rigidly secured to the rear face of front wall 7`of the drawer.` y

A latch bar or `rod 17 is providedwith anv extends through a bearingopening in `flange 10, while the opposite end of the rod extends througha bearing opening 20, Fig. 5 formed in side wall 8 of the drawer. Theflange 11 is rovided with a slot 21 in the end portion adjacent flange10 to receive one end of actuating membe r 22 in the form of anelongated metal strip having a lateral extension 23 resting on flange 11so as to suspend member 22 for free swinging'movement from flange 11relative to body portion'9. The opposite' end portion ofactua-tingmember 22engages with the offset end 19 of latchrod 17 as clearly shownin Figs. 3, 4, and 6. This opposite end portion of actuatin member 22 isguided by a pair of guide projections 24 struck out of body portion 9and extended laterally thereto in'qspaced parallel relationv and insubstantial alignment with slot 21 formedin flange 11.

A button 25 is engaged in an opening in front wall 7 of the drawer andnormally projects forwardly from this front wall as shown in Fig. 5, anannular portion 26 of the button seatin against the rear face of frontwall 7 around the opening and being engaged in an opening 27 in bodyportion 9 located inter-y .mediate flange 11 and guide projections 24 inposition to engage actuating member 22.v

By depressing the button 25 to force it inwardly through the front wallof the drawer, the actuatin member' 22 is engaged and swung away rombody portion 9 to operate offset crank projection 19 of latch rod 17 forrotating the latch rod in its bearings and moving latch finger 18'to aninoperative position.

A of wire doubledupon itself to provide spaced parallel portions 29 anda loop 30. The loop 30 is engaged with the offset end 19 of latc rod 17while the free ends of the wire extend through a strap projection 31formed in body portion 9 by offsetting a section thereof as illustratedin Fig. 6, the terminals of portions 29 at the ends of the piece of wireextending beyond this strap projection 31 and having laterally extendingportions at the free ends enga ed in loops 32, Figs. 4 and 6, struckfrom bo y portion 9 in spaced aligned relation.` These loops 32 arespaced from the strap projections 31 in the manner shown in Fig. 6. andfirmly hold and'support the spring member 28 in position so that theloop 30 engages the ofl'set end 19 of the latch rod inl all positionsand normally acts to urge it toward the actuating member 22 and towardthe body portion 9. Thiswill normally force button 25 outwardly throughdrawer i o front 7 until the enlarged annular portion 26 engages therear face of wall 7 in the manner shown in Fig. 5 with the actuatingmember seated against the rear end ofbutton 25.

This is vthe' locked position of the parts as illustrated in Figs. 4,v 5and 6, in which latch lfinger 18 is resiliently held in position tospring member v28 is formed of a length retain the drawer in closedposition in the `inthe art, so as to sup ort the intermediate slide 5and the drawer s 1de 4 mounted on the sidesof the drawer, for supportingthe drawer for free` movement into and out of the cabinet. The caseslide to be used with the present latch mechanism is provided with an uwardly extending flange 33 on/,the upper e ge of the channel shaped bodyportion, formed at the forward end to provide a keeper 34 for receivingthe offset latch finger 18 on latch rod 17 when the drawer is in closedposition to positively lock the drawer to the case slide andprevent itsmovement outwardly from the cabinet.

The flange 33 in advance of keeper 34 is formed with an inclined camface 35 for engaging latch finger 18 and automatically rotating thelatch member 17 so as to lift the latch finger against the tension ofspring 28 in the closing movement of the drawer so that it will rideinto keeper 34 automatically. The spring 28 normally operates latchmember 17 so as to hold latch finger 18 in the position of Fig. 6 sothat after this finger 18 rides upwardly over cam 35, the spring willforce latch finger 18 to drop into the recess forming -keeper 34 so thatit will cooperate with the adjacent edge portions of flange 33 toprevent opening movement of the drawer until the latch mechanism hasfirst been operated by depressing button 25. The de ression of button 25to move it rearwardly t rough the drawer front 7 will rotate latch rod17 a sufficient amount to raise the finger 18 so that it will clear theportion of the flange 33 at the forward end of the case slide 6 when thedrawer is to be opened.

A cover plate 36 formed with marginal flanges 37 as shown in Fig. 5 isapplied to the `drawer in the rear of front wall 7 to provide a coverfor the latch mechanism in cooperationl with the wall 7 by securing theplate 36 to the projecting ends of 'studs 14 in a manner illustrated 1nFig. 5 to form a hollow housing portion at the front of the drawercontaining the latch mechanism.

By mounting the latch mechanism within the housing between wall 7 andplate 36 'with the latch member 17 extending outwardly beyond thesidewall of the drawer with the finger 18 at the side of the drawer adjacentthe front cooperating with the keeper provided on the case slide,greater uniformity in securing a proper re ation between the keeper andthe latch finger can be obtained for locking the drawer in fully closedposition due to the direct' support of the drawer by the case slide,than where the latch is provided with a finger adapted to engage part ofthe casing of the cabinet.

In the construction of file cabinets it is found that variations occurin the assembled relation'of the various parts dueto tolerances allowedin manufacture, frequently causin diilicult in properly aligning theparts o the latc mec anism for cooperation on both the drawer and thecabinet. By combining this latch structure with the structure of thesupporting and guide members and particularly the case slide with whichthe drawer always has a constant alignment due to its support in thecase slide, substantial advantages are obtained in the manufacture ofcabinets provided with the latch structure of this invention due to thisIrelationship by which the parts will uniformi cooperate to alwayssecure the drawer in fu l closed position irres ctive of the variationsin the structure of t e casin or frame of the cabinet.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a filing cabinet, a drawer for said cabinet, anddrawer sup-` rting and guiding means mounting said rawer for movementinto and out of said cabinet including a 'case slide having a keeper onthe front end p''rtio'n, of a drawer carried latch mechanism having amanually operable latch member normally positioned for cooperation withsaid keeper to lock said drawer in closed position in the cabinet.

2. The combination in a filing cabinet, of a drawer, drawer sup ortingand guiding means mount-ing said rawer for movement into and out of saidcabinet having a case slide mounted in the cabinet, said case slidehaving a fiange portion formed to provide a kee r and a cam adjacentthereto, a spring actuated latch member on said drawer having an endportion normally projected to en-V gage insaid keeper and operable bysaid cam member in closing movement of said drawer to automatically moveinto engagement in said keeper and lock said drawer in closed position.

3. The combination in a filing cabinet, of

a drawer, drawer supporting and guiding means at the sides of saiddrawer, mounting said drawer for movement into and out of said cabinethaving a case slide mounted in' keeper.

4. The combination in a filing cabinet, of a drawer having a front walland side walls, drawer supporting and guiding means at the sides of saiddrawer mounting said drawer in the cabinet for movement into and out ofthe cabinet having a case slide mounted in the cabinet formed with akeeper, a. latch -member formed of a rod having a portion extendingtransversely of thedrawer and rotatably mounted on the rear sideof saidfront wa-ll with one end projecting outwardly beyoud one. side wall andhaving an offset latch finger for enga ing said kee r to lock saiddrawer in close position, resi ient means nor` mallyv urging said latchfinger to engage-said keeper, and manually operable' means projectingthrough and mounted on said front wall for disengaging said latch fingerfrom said keeper. v

5. The combination in a filing cabinet, of a drawer having a front walland side walls, drawer supporting and guiding means at the sides of saidV drawer mounting said drawer in the cabinet for movement into and outof the cabinet, va latch'niember formed of a rod having a portionextending transversely o f the drawer and rotatabl lmounted on' the rearside vof ysaid front wall with one-end projectin outwardly from thedrawer and formed witan offset latch finger for lockingcooperation witha part carried `by the cabinet in the 'plateA v having an end projectingbeyond the drawer for locking (roo eration with a part on the cabinet inthe c osed vposition of the drawer, resilientmeans on said supportingplate normally. urging said I latch into lock- 1ngposition, operatingmeans having l'its end portion ysupported in the refentrant flange ofsaid supporting plateand manually operable to retract ysaid latch`- fromen ment with said part, a handle forsaid rawer, and means securing saidhandle to the front wall'of said drawery cooperating with and securingvsaid supporting plate to the rear side of said front wall.

7. The'combination lin aiiling cabinet, of a drawer having a front wall,a 4supporting plate mounted on the rear face of said front wall, a latchmember of crank arm type' mounted on said supportingplate having an endprojecting beyond the drawer for locking coo eration with a part on saidcabinet in the c osed position of the drawer, resilient means having aportion engaging about the crank arm latch member and normally urgingsaid latch member into locking position, an actuating member mounted onsaid supporting plate operatively enga ing said latch member, andmanuallyopera le means engaging said actuating member and operable torelease said latch member from engagemcntwith said part.

8. A latch mechanism for'the drawers of 5'liling cabinets, comprising asupporting plate, a latch member formed of a rod ro-L tatablyy mountedon said supporting plate and having ofi'set opposite end portions, oneof said end portions overlying said supporting plate and the other endportion forming a latch finger, an actuating bar loosely connected atone end to said supporting plate and having the opposite end portionengaging the first mentioned offset end of said latch member, manuallyoperable means engaging the intermediate portion of said actuating barfor operating said bar and actuating said latch member into unlockingposition, and resilient means normally operating said latch member intolocking position. y

` 9. A latch mechanism for filing cabinets, comprising a supportingplate having a pair of laterally extending 'flanges on adjacent edges,`alatch member formed of a rod rotatable in one of' said flanges andhaving offset opposite end portions, anactuating bar loosely mounted atone end on the otherflange and Lhaving the' opposite end engaging one ofthe offset portions of said latch member, resilient means secured tosaid plate and engaging thelast-mentioned 'offset end of said latchmember and normally rotating said latch member inone direction, and abutton engaged in said supporting plate manually operable to engage andoperate said actuating member to move said latch member in a directionopposite to that ofthe resilient means. y

10. A latch mechanism for filingcabinets 40 vhaving a supporting platecomprising a piece of sheet met-al having a flat body portion, a pair oflaterally extending flanges, one of said flanges extending from anedgeof the body portion adjacent to an edge provided with' the otherflange, a bearing opening formed in one of said fianges, a slot4 formedin the other flange, guide. projections extending laterally from saidbody portion in spaced parallel relation to each Aother and aligned withsaid slot, spring mounting projections formed on the body portion ofsaid plate, and means on said body portionfor receiving at tachingelements to mountl said platefon a support. ,v

. BENJAMIN G. RAND.

